Chess

Notes and observations as I struggle to learn how to play chess from scratch.

Updates

ELO is from Chess.com. I play on Lichess when Iā€™m not feeling sharp enough to give a good account of myself.

Sep 15, 2024

Puzzle rating: 2400 ā€” thatā€™s 13,000 puzzles under the belt now

Taken a few weeks off because of work/travel, and because playing at 1500 requires a level of concentration I donā€™t have often at the moment. I donā€™t want to lose the rating by playing when Iā€™m way off form so Iā€™ve been playing on lichess to get back into it. Iā€™ll have to bite the bullet soon and just accept that Iā€™ll need drop down quite a bit to be able to play when Iā€™m not feeling 100% on it.

Aug 29, 2024

Hit 1500 ELO

Had a two week period where I was on fire and everything made sense. Now itā€™s faded and I feel way out of my depth at 1500. Even on my best form, every game feels like being squeezed to death gradually unless they give up a big tactical opportunity. I feel above average at spotting tactics and checkmates (with 10,000 puzzles done so far), but Iā€™m clearly way off the pace positionally.

Jul 22, 2024

Hit 1400 ELO

Jul 12, 2024

Started looking at the Alapin for white ā€” need something in response to the Sicilian because itā€™s so different

Jul 08, 2024

Hit 1300 ELO

Winning most games on tactics ā€” if I make it to an endgame and the opponent isnā€™t as clueless as me Iā€™m fucked. Puzzles are starting to help with endgames but not enough to play them well at this level.

Jul 05, 2024

Puzzle rating: 2300

Jul 02, 2024

Hit 1200 ELO

The Caro Kann has helped me so much. Learning the intention behind its pawn moves helps me understand the intention of most openings I face. Playing it as black really fucks people up at this level, too.

Jun 23, 2024

Learning about the Caro Kann for black

Learning the Caro Kann has given context to the meaning of fighting for the centre ā€” now I understand why itā€™s useful and more importantly, I can see what certain pawn moves are trying to achieve.

May 25, 2024

Puzzle rating: 2000

May 10, 2024

Started doing puzzles daily

May 10, 2024

Hit 1000 ELO

Apr 02, 2024

Hit 900 ELO

Mar 15, 2024

Hit 700 ELO

Mar 01, 2024

Learning about the Ruy Lopez for white

Learning one opening and trying to play it every chance I get is helping to glue together some of the advice Iā€™m trying to follow. Without a rough plan to follow itā€™s impossible to know the value of certain pieces or when to trade.

Feb 01, 2024

Starting from scratch

Girlfriend got me a chessboard for Christmas, never played before, donā€™t really know the rules.


Tips that helped me get off the ground

  1. Stick to symmetrical e-pawn openings until I learn to navigate opening principles.

  2. Donā€™t panic when opponents break opening principles, just stick to them myself as much as possible.

  3. Keep my pieces defended and look for my opponentā€™s undefended pieces.

  4. Check carefully what becomes undefended when I plan to move a piece.

  5. Consider letting my opponent initiate trades early on so I develop a piece into the centre when re-capturing.

  6. Donā€™t move my pieces into the opponents half of the board until they can be well supported there.

  7. Develop knights quickly.

  8. Castle early to get my king out of the centre.

  9. Get the back rank clear to connect my rooks.

  10. Get bishops onto long diagonals where they control more squares.

  11. Move rooks onto open files, especially if they x-ray the opponentā€™s king.

  12. Spend plenty of time calculating trades, and watch for defenders that are behind others.

  13. Prefer keeping bishops over knights if all else is equal.

  14. Watch for pins on my pieces that prevent re-capturing when trading.

  15. Be more open to trading evenly when I have a material advantage.

  16. Scan for forks, for and against, especially when a knight is in my half.

  17. Be patient when I have a material advantage in the endgame.

  18. Be mindful of losing pieces by being forced to move out of check in the endgame.